


Spiked Gloves and Nightingales.

by Athena_Yule



Series: Throwing Gwenvid AUs Against The Wall [3]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: 'Patched Up After A Heist Gone Wrong By A Really Cute Guy' Au, AU, Crush at First Sight, Doctor! David, F/M, Fairly Serious Injuries, Gang member! Gwen, Max and the rest are barely there, They get Patched Up Though, aged-up max
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2017-11-19
Packaged: 2019-01-18 10:38:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12386475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Athena_Yule/pseuds/Athena_Yule
Summary: "Oh! You're awake. Good, you were quite injured when I found you. How do you feel?""I...Like I got ran over?""Well believe me, It sure did look like it. Now, wa- Don't get up!"Gwen got what little breath she had in her temporarily knocked out of her as she got pushed back down onto the bed. It was also in that moment that she decided to actually look at who was talking and-Woah.





	1. The Meet-Less Cute And More So Bloody

**Author's Note:**

> Please disregard any and all medical inaccuracies. Or factual inaccuracies in general. Thank you.

" _'Come with us on this heist'_ , he says. _'We could use the extra muscle'_ , he **says**."

 

Gwen wanted to fucking stab someone. She could (And probably would, too) but unfortunately, she was more busy running for her life at that moment in time. So, flexing some of her parkour muscles, she leaped onto a wall, using the split-second of time that she had to jump off from it and grab a hold of the fire escape staircase on the closest apartment. Pulling herself up, she quickly started running up it, praying that that move would throw the cops off, or at least buy her some time. She cringed at the loud noises that her shoes, but m ignored that in favour of activating her comm.

"Max, I am going to kill you!"

"Yeah, because I'm sure that Campbell would love to _hear_ about how his favourite blackmailer suddenly went missing. I'd like to see you explain that. Besides, at least you're getting a cut now! Isn't that nice? You could pay the rent in your apartment, and maybe even get yourself something nice!"

 

His words were practically dripping in his trademark smug attitude, and Gwen would have loved nothing more than to wipe off the smirk that he was undoubtedly wearing, but again, she had more important things to do. Like running. And complaining.

"Christ Max, I bet you feel soooo happy right now. Of course, let's all let Gwen be the fucking distraction, while I get to get away in the truck with all the cash."

"Well, you're not wrong, Gwen."

"Jesus fucking Christ, Codenames!"

"Sorry, Pointdexter."

"That's not my fucking code name and you know it, Nine!"

"Dude, Neil, Chill out. The cops have never found out our real names before now, why should it matter?"

"Sure thing, Nik! It doesn't matter, until the government comes knocking at your door the next day to take you to Super Guantanamo!"

 

Gwen almost stopped for second."Wait, Super Guantanamo's a real place?"

 

No response. Looked like Neil got pissed and went offline. Whatever, fewer distractions meant fewer problems. She jumped from the building she was on to the next, rolling as she did so to distribute the force and put less strain on her legs (Also maybe because it looked cool, but shhhh). She looked back in the direction she came from to check for anyone that might still be on her tail.

 

One. There was only one. Okay, she could do this. Gwen had fought people before. This was part of the job description. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her knife just as the man rushed towards her. As quickly as she could, she side-stepped him, thrusted her leg out and hooked it around the guy's right knee. Drawing it back, she sent him toppling, and Gwen followed it up with a slash at his side. She looked at the wound she inflicted, and almost winced. That one was definitely going to scar. She approached him, grabbing him by the back of his collar, and went for the final punch when-

"You know, in hindsight, I probably should have done this sooner."

"What-"

 

Gwen didn't have any more time to speak before there was ringing in her ears and pain blossoming in her stomach. Letting out a loud curse, she punched the man in the face, breaking his nose and knocking him out cold. Gwen gave him one last kick to the ribs for good measure and then keeled over, clutching at her wound. She let out a stream of curses as she turned her comm back on, and found herself greeted by Max's snarky tone. 

"Oh hey, little Miss Hissy Fit finally got back to us, huh? Great. You'll be happy to know that-"

"I've been shot."

"What?!"

 

Max at least had the decency to sound worried. Neil cut in. 

"Shit! Okay, Gwen, we're about three blocks straight down, one to your left. Can you make it that far?"

"I can try- Fuck, this hurts!"

"We'll stay here as long as we can, but that's not exactly a lot of time. Can you get here in thirty?"

"Twenty."

"Got it."

 

Alright. Alright, Okay, Okay, O- _Kay_. Gwen could do this. She could totally do this. Just a little bit more of building-hopping, then covering up the wound, praying that n one notices it until she gets to the van, and hopefully she doesn't bleed out by that time. That was... Do-able, however improbable. Stepping towards the edge of the building she was currently on, she lined herself up, and...

 

 _Well what do you know,_ Gwen thought, as she saw the metal grate of the fire ladder get closer and closer.  _Looks like it wasn't do-able after all._

 

* * *

 

 

"Hello? Are you awake?"

"Mhhnnmh."

"Ma'am?" 

 

It was bright. Or maybe it wasn't, whatever. It sure felt like it to Gwen. She also felt lightheaded. That surely wasn't normal. She heard some shuffling. 

"Ma'am?"

Well, she didn't want to open her eyes, but that didn't mean that she couldn't talk.

"Yeah?"

"Oh, you're awake! Good, you were really hurt when I found you."

 

Her ribs hurt. That wasn't normal. And her leg hurt too. The bed she was laying in was pretty comfortable though. She heard a noise of something being uncapped that told her that whoever the guy next to her was, he was holding a water bottle. She felt him put a hand on her bed as he brought the bottle to her lips, which she gladly accepted, fighting off the minor urge to smack it out of his hands. When she was done, he capped it and placed it to the side.

"How do you feel?"

"Well, my head hurts, it feels like I'm going to faint, the small seed of anxiety in my stomach is growing, I feel like throwing myself off of the nearest cliff, so... Like I got ran over?"

"Well, that's not what happened, but believe me, that's what it looked like."

"Heh."

 

He was trying to imitate her style of humor, however poorly. Gwen could appreciate the effort. But something was still stirring in her gut. This- wherever she was, it wasn't the hospital. Now she wasn't sure why she wasn't, or how she was still alive for that matter, _or_   why this guy didn't bring her to the hospital, but it was without a doubt way beyond the time that Neil gave her to get back to the getaway car, and now they might either be in jail because they were caught while waiting for her, or they thought she was dead. Not good either way. She should probably get back to them. She _had_ to get back to HQ.

"Now, I don't have any proper painkillers, but I do have some Tylenol, so- wait, don't!"

 

Gwen's attempts to stand up were quickly dashed as the man who helped her shoved her back down onto the bed, slightly winding her. He drew his hand back quickly, and raised it towards his mouth in shock.

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry!"

"I've been through worse."

 

Okay, well, she couldn't exactly move. But one thing she could do was look around. It was probably time to open her eyes anyways. So that's what Gwen did. Slowly at first, so as not to to blind herself and make her already growing headache worse (That Tylenol that the man mentioned sounded pretty good right about then), she looked around the room. 

 

It was a pleasing shade of sky blue, and there were a few photographs of the forest hanging on the wall. There was a nightstand on either side, and she noticed that there were a few fantasy books in one of the drawers. There was the faintest smell of incense in the room: Something earthy, perhaps sandalwood. It was so domestic it made Gwen want to puke. Then she turned to the guy (Why wasn't he the first thing she looked at?) and-

 

Woah.

 

Now, Gwen had seen some pretty cute guys before, so nothing new in that department, but she could safely say that the guy in front of her was decidedly _not_   her usual type. Her usual type was tall, brooding, broad shouldered, the type of guy that looked big enough to break a boulder in half for shits and giggles. This guy looked more like a red-headed Labrador puppy who seemed to be barely (If at all) taller than Gwen was herself. She had to admit though, those big green eyes of his glimmered. He looked so honest with his emotions. Gwen had seen kids who could probably lie better than this guy could. He was looking at her with genuine worry and concern, something which she hadn't seen in a long while. He was fidgeting slightly, and Gwen could tell that he hadn't gotten a lot of sleep last night.

 

To be fair, if she had been woken up in the middle of the night by some masked woman crashing right next to her window, bleeding out, and then would spend god knows how long patching up her GSW, she wouldn't have gotten a lot of sleep either.

 

She tried to rub at her eye, but quickly stopped.  _Ow._ she pulled her hand back, to stare at the bandages that were wrapped around it. That raised a question.

"Hey, uhh..."

"David!"

"David. How... How exactly was I hurt?"

"Oh, well..."

 

That wasn't good. Neither was the fact that he was pulling out a list.

"Well, when you fell, your leg broke in two seperate places, your ankle twisted, although at least that only happened on one leg! Now, there was the gunshot wound that you had, you skinned both of your hands, and sprained one of them, your bruised from thigh to back, to shoulder, and there's a couple of lacerations too, but- Oh my god I'm so sorry!"

 

David finally noticed the look of growing terror on Gwen's face. Quickly, he did a once over of his llist, and then added:

"Don't worry! I swear, it's not as bad as it sounds. Well, the broken bones and the gunshot wound _is_ bad, but I made a splint for your leg! And I sewed up any wounds that were serious enough for it. And s- so long as you change your bandages and regularly disinfect your wounds, they should all clean up with minimal scarring!"

"Dear lord, I swear your worse at this than I am."

"T- this?"

"Talking. To other people- you know what, I take it back. Forget everything I just said, uhh, why didn't you take me to the hospital?"

 

David flinched, and then took a step back. He started fidgeting with his hands, and then rubbed the back of his neck, refusing to make eye contact. Damn, he really couldn't hide something. At all. 

"You uh- You know, heh, that umm- You know, I was watching the news earlier that day, and well-"

 

He walked out of the room. Gwen stared at him when he came back, holding something behind his back. He raised it up in front of him, presenting the object to Gwen.

"You know, when it's all you use to hide your identity, it can get really easy to find out who you are. If you- If you get what I mean."

 

Holy shit. He had her mask. David- A _civilian no less_ \- Had her mask. Not only did he know who she was- what she looked like- he- Wait a minute....

 

"You... Didn't turn me in? Why?"

 

David shrugged after he figured out that the woman in front of him isn't planning to immediately murder him in his sleep, physical impairments-be-damned, and decides that it wouldn't hurt to answer honestly. Not that he was ever a good liar. 

"I know that the police in this city treat criminals all that well. And while I don't really agree with your lifestyle, I can't really- I mean, you were hurt! I couldn't have just left you in their hands. Doctors are meant to help others, after all..."

 

Gwen blinked. That was interesting.

"So you're saying that you _won't_ be turning me over?"

 

He shrugged. Gwen formed a small smile of gratitude, which David barely managed to catch as it quickly turned into a smirk and a faked yawn. Gwen pretended to rub at her eye with her less injured hand.

"Well, I guess I'm not leaving anytime soon, so... Is there any food?" She asked. David smiled brightly. 

 

"As much as you need!"

 

* * *

 

 

As the weeks went by, and as Gwen slowly healed, she found that her schedule turned more and more domestic. She would sit in the guest room that she had first found herself in, reading, or watching dramas on Netflix (David had mercifully granted her access to his laptop after he realised that she was a human with _needs_ , dammit), and when David would return, he would cook her some dinner. When David had finally let her walk around on crutches around his apartment (Because 'What if you go outside and somebody recognises you, Gwen?!'), she was finally able to cook him something instead: A curry. The recipe was the one she used from her middle school home ec class, and the rice was slightly burned, the chicken cut into such tiny pieces to avoid them ending up raw that they may as well have been minced, and there was so much spice that David finished off all the milk in the fridge before he even finished his plate (How was Gwen supposed to know that he couldn't handle spicy food?!), but when all was done and Gwen was washing up after them both, David still called it one of the best meals that he had eaten in a while. 

 

Beyond that, she'd do basic chores for him, cleaning dishes and the like. She still couldn't believe exactly how much of a mother hen David was though. Why he wouldn't let her fucking bend over to pick up clothes was beyond her. But that didn't really matter: He made up for it when they started watching Bob Ross together. Gwen never knew just how relaxing a show could be before that.

 

But there was one thing that prevented her from relaxing to her fullest, and ironically enough, it was the same thing that made her the happiest nowadays: David himself.

 

She couldn't believe that her crush had gotten worse. How could it have gotten worse?! She has had to force herself to move her eyes away from the dude's butt on more than one occasion, not to mention how she absolutely melted into a pile of warm fuzzies when he smiled at her. He looked like the male real life equivalent of a stereotypical Disney princess, why was she acting like this?

 

She tried her best to shake away her thoughts when she noticed the door to the apartment open. David walked in, smiling brightly as always. Gwen waved at him.

"Hey, David."

 

 

 "Hi, Gwen!"

He was carrying something in his right hand. Gwen tilted her head.

"What's that?"

"Hmm? Oh, well I figured that staying cooped up in here all the time is getting really boring right now, and as much as you say you like reading and uh, 'binging' Tv shows is what I think you called it? Well, you'd get tired of all of those things eventually, so..."

 

He handed the bag to Gwen. Reaching in, her hand touched something really soft and she pulled it out to find-

"A dress?"

 

It looked about knee length, and black. The fabric seemed warm, loose and stretchy, fitting for the current fall season, and the sleeves were full length. The elastic around the boat-neck seemed nice too, and there was even a knot around the back to make it easy to adjust. Gwen stared back at David, who looked at her with anticipation. She glanced back at the fabric between her fingers.

"How... Why did you get me this?"

"I umm... Well, I looked through one of your magazines, and then I saw it while I was buying myself a shirt, and it looked like the dresses in those magazines, so I just grabbed the one that looked like it would fit you the best, so I thought that... Do you like it?"

 

He looked worried, like Gwen wasn't on the verge of squealing and hugging him hard enough to break his twig-like frame in two. Instead of doing that, she did her best to compose herself, and smiled.

"Like it? I _love_ it, David!"

 

Gwen could only smile brighter as she watched him sigh in relief, and then bounce slightly. Really, he did truly look like a puppy in that moment. He practically squee-ed, then took a deep breath so as not to come off as too creepy in the moment. 

"So, since your leg is getting better, I figured that... I could take you out for a day? Take a walk around the park nearby, and- Ooh! There's a cafe only a block down, and they have really good sandwiches, plus maybe we could- Wait, I'm getting too ahead of myself! So, hahah, what do you think?"

"I'd like that. Tomorrow, ten o'clock?"

"Sure thing!"

 

David adjusted the bandanna he was wearing around his neck and left, muttering something about needing time to prepare. It was only about six o' clock in the evening, but whatever. Gwen got a nice view of his back anyways. She then hit herself in the face and covered herself entirely in her blanket. She was going out. With David.On a date- Wait no, he never said that it was a date, they were probably just going out as friends, but - But what if they weren't? Gwen sighed. She was way too deeply infatuated.

 

Yet somehow, she was okay with that.


	2. The Tragic Backstories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For story reference:  
> David is around his late twenties-early thirties, Gwen is also in a similar age range, and Max is around 19-22 years old. Hope that clears things up!
> 
> Anyways, apart from that, we finally learn a bit more about David and Gwen's past! (Hooray! Angst and Flashbacks respectively!) Also, Gwen is made Bi in this, but whatevs. I'm sure you all can handle it.
> 
> My god, why did I make David so well off that he can afford luxuries like pretty clothing and shoes and bills and food for two people for two months straight with no issue? Whelp, can't change that now I guess. Whoops.
> 
> Speaking of money, what is the average amount of debt a college student finds themselves in America?
> 
> I apologise in advance for my inability to write long and/or descriptive paragraphs.
> 
> Enjoy!

David kept his word, and the very next day, Gwen had gone outside for the first time in nearly five weeks. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, she was wearing the dress that David bought her, which fit shockingly well apart from the slightly awkward sleeve length. She had to wear her boots from the heist though, which were well worn and didn't match, but there wasn't much that Gwen could do about it. So, with David checking up on her leg and warning Gwen to go lightly on it (he gave her crutches regardless), as well as checking that he had his wallet and keys, as well as whatever was in his rucksack, which David insisted on carrying for some reason, they were all set to leave.

 

David really wasn't lying about the cafe, as they only really had to walk down the block and cross the road to get to it. The sign in front of the window read  _The Donut Caboose_. Gwen snorted at the name, but she found herself pleasantly surprised when she walked inside and found that it was actually really pleasing. The interior was primarily in Pink and blue, Like cotton candy, and best of all-

"David, why didn't you say it was a cat cafe?"

"I- Wait! Please don't tell me you're allergic, Gwen!"

"Allergic? No way! And besides- Oh my god it's a Munchkin!"

 

She cooed at the stumpy-legged cat as it shuffled past, glancing at the pair. It had cream and brown fur, and what may as well have been some of the bluest eyes Gwen had ever seen on an animal. She looked at David, as though asking for permission to go pet the animal. He shrugged and then nodded, so Gwen grinned and chased off after the cat. 

 

Unbeknown to her, David watched her run off with a small smile on his face. She really was cute when she smiled. David wanted for her to be able to do that more often. Heck, he could already tell that he'd want to go on more dates after this one- No. This wasn't a date, he told himself. This was just an outing.  With a _friend_. They could go out together after this, but it was _not_ romantic. At all.

 

"Oh, it so is!"

 

David practically jumped ten feet in the air and spun around, coming face to face with a certain familiar waiter.

"Frank?"

"The one and only! Table or booth?"

"...Booth. Was I- Was I talking out loud again?"

"No, not this time. It was just really obvious what you were thinking."

 

Gesturing for David to follow him, they both went over to a vacant booth, and David sat down, turning to stare at the window. Frank must've given him the booth with the best view on purpose. Frank tapped his notebook with his pen.

"Coffee?"

"You know I don't drink that. I'll just have some orange juice."

"Got it. And food?"

"I'll wait until Gwen gets here for that."

"So that's her name, huh? It's pretty."

 

Frank looked over to the other side of the cafe, where Gwen was lightly rubbing her thumb over the front paws of a kitten. It was honestly one of the cutest scenes David had ever seen in person. Gwen then turned to them, noticed the waiter standing next to David,bit her lip in embarrassment, and then moved as quickly as possible, weaving in between the cats and tables as well as she could in crutches until she finally sat down across from David. Donut let out a grin, winked at David with a clear meaning of 'We _will_ talk about this later', and turned to Gwen.

"Well hey there!! You sure are a cute one, aren't ya? David definitely got a good one this time!"

 

Gwen was thankful that the darkness of her skin hid her embarrassment. "Wait a minute, we aren't-"

"Oh I know! I'm just teasing, don't worry. Now, I'll be back in a minute or two to take your order, we do have other customers too, as wonderful as you two are."

 

The waiter left, humming some sort of cheery tune. Gwen turned back to David, confused. "What the hell was with him?"

"Oh, that's just how he is. He's a great guy, really! Once you get past all of the- the quirks."

"Huh. So he's sorta like you?"

 

David shrugged. Gwen looked at the menu, her eyes skimming the pages. They had a really large variety of coffee, which was nice. And the pastries all seemed equally appetizing. Gwen stared at the prices. Yikes. Was David really going to-

"You can order whatever you want Gwen, really! I don't mind at all."

"You sure?"

"What are friends for?"

 

Friends. _Friends_. The word resonated through Gwen's head, and she wasn't sure if she was happy about it. That being said, being told that she could order whatever she wanted definitely did. She ordered one of the cheaper options regardless. The waiter from before came back with a bottle of orange juice, which he placed on David's side of the table, alongside a glass. 

"So, what am I getting for you two?"

 

"Well you know me Frank, I'll just have the omlette. Gwen?"

"Uhh, the shredded pancake and applesauce."

"Do you want anything to drink?"

"Umm.... Vanilla Frap?"

 "Ooh, nice choice! Coming right up, Lovebirds!"

"We're not-"

 

He left before Gwen could tell him. Again. Something told her that this was normal for the guy.

"Why are you friends with him again?"

"He's usually better than this, I swear!"

"Right. So... He said before that you picked a good one 'This time'. We're not dating, but well- I mean uh, what did he mean by that?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure that he was talking about my ex!"

"You had an ex? What was- I mean, what were they like?"

"Well, she was tall, and really strong, and well um-"

 

He flushed slightly as he continued. As he did, Gwen noticed two things: The first was that he never described anything he disliked about her, although that definitely seemed to be like him to do so. The second was that the person he was describing seemed oddly... Familiar... 

"Hold on a second David, I'm just- Call me paranoid, or suspicious or whatever- But your Ex... Is she Black?"

"Umm, Yes?"

"Yellow eyes?"

"Yeah?"

"Is she a stripper?"

"Well, I wouldn't put it that bluntly, but-"

"David, Did you- Is your Ex-Girlfriend named Bonquisha?

"Hold on, you know her?"

"Know her? She's _my_ ex, too!"

 

David's expression shifted into one of realisation. 

"Huh. Well, I guess it's a... Good thing, then! Not that we had to break up with her, but it mean that we share something in common! That's gotta mean something, right?"

"I mean, I never took you to be the type for bitching about exes, but yeah."

"Hold on a moment, I never said anything about that!"

"Sure thing David. But you know, it's just you and me in this section right now, so..."

 

David flushed and looked away in embarrassment. He fidgeted a little underneath Gwen's stare, before finally giving in. 

"So uh, how did you two meet?"

"Well, I met her on the way back to my college dorm. She was trying to get away from one of her... Clients, and I pretended as if we knew each other. It was probably the most awkward thing I had done in my life up until that point, but it worked. The next day, we got coffee and stuff, and it went down from there."

"Oh, well that's nice-"

"And then it went 'down' from there."

"Wait what? I- Oh. G-Gwen!"

 

Gwen laughed as David went red and flustered. It was always so fun to see how many ways she could do it. But that aside...

"So what about you?"

"Oh well it's actually a funny story! I was babysitting some younger kids- I think I was eighteen at the time?, and there was one- Max, I think his name was- and well, he was always such a troublemaker! One time, he actually took my phone and went onto Tinder and pretended to be me!"

"Oh yeah?"

 

Gwen inwardly screamed. This kid David was talking about also seemed to remind her of someone she had met before. If her theory was correct... she bit her cheeks and did her absolute hardest to stop herself from everything coming out. She had already outed herself as a gang member (as replaceable as she was, being a simple distraction ninety percent of the time), she wasn't going to out any other members of the gang. Perhaps she could lie about how she knew him, but that would just start a giant spiral and- Oh what was she talking about this was theoretical at best and she should be _listening_ -

"-And by the time that I got it back, Bonquisha had already come over to my house. I tried to tell her what happened, but she wasn't taking no for an answer at that point, so... Yeah!"

"Wow. That kid uhh, Max, sure seems like a piece of shit, huh?"

"Don't say that! Sure he could've been... Difficult, at times, but I understand why!"

"Why's that?"

"Well, I didn't really find out, but I... I don't think that he had the best home life."

"Oh..."

 

Curse her love of drama and insatiable curiosity. Her mind screamed at her to change the subject, and Gwen at least had the brainpower left to agree.

"So how did you and Bon-Bon, you know, part ways?"

"Well, it's not really inter- well, I- Oh darn, I'll just tell it how it was. We dated for a really short time- only about a month or two? Anyways, I ended up being really clingy, and i guess she had finally had enough. She broke up with me on one of our dates."

"Harsh. We just broke up because I had to move and she told me she couldn't do long distance."

"I think I took it way too hard. I cried for about a week straight after that."

"You're a hopeless romantic?"

"You could say that. It only got worse when I found out that she had already found a new boyfriend."

"How did you find out?"

"We were in the same restaurant at the wrong time. I... Overreacted."

"What did you do?"

"I don't like talking about it."

"I'm in one of the most infamous gangs in this city. I can assure you David, whatever you did, I've done way worse."

 

David opened his mouth, then closed it, instead showing her both of his hands. He held one out flat, and the other, he clenched in a fist. After a moment of hesitation, he punched his open palm, and Gwen's jaw nearly hit the floor.

"Are you serious?!"

"Um, yes?"

"I take back what I said about you last night. You're awesome."

"I hit him with a chair!"

 "Holy fuck that's even cooler! Damn, I wish I was there to see it.

 

David tugged at his shirt collar, now made thoroughly uncomfortable. It was at that point that the waiter from before had come back, now carrying two separate plates. He placed them down with a smile, and was about to leave, when David tapped his shoulder. Leaning over, he whispered something into the waiter's ear, who nodded and left. Gwen turned back to her own plate of food.

"Damn, this looks good."

"It does!"

"Just one thing - How do you expect me to finish this?"

 "I've already asked Frank to bring us a few lunchboxes. We can finish it in the park I mentioned!"

"Sounds great!"

 

Picking up her fork, Gwen started to dig in. And boy oh boy, was she a happy woman in that moment. Damn, how long has it been since she had eaten something like this? She started scoffing it down, and before she knew it, she was full. She looked back to David, who had started to scrape some of the remains of their food into some tupperware. When he was done, and the two had gone to the bathroom, Gwen picked up her crutches and the two walked out, with David leaving thirty dollars under a glass. It was nice of him to leave a tip like that.

 

It took them fifteen minutes to get to the park, and David quickly led her to a tree. It was a willow, and it lended them shelter from the wind, at least partially. David took the rucksack from his back and pulled out a tarp, before paying it down onto the ground. He then pulled out a book, and sat down, patting the space beside him as an invitation. Gwen accepted, and she sat down as carefully as she could to avoid the pain that threatened her. When she was comfortable, she leaned over to see the title of the book that David was holding.

" _Blue Sky, by W.A. Fells._ What's it about?"

"Oh, well there's a man and a woman, and they know each other from a past life, but then they died, and the man was reborn as a sentient artificial intelligence in an android body, and the woman is a war veteran who's given the android as a servant, and over the course of the book they slowly start remembering their past life. It's really romantic, and I know you like those kind of books, so I thought that we could read it together?"

 

David smiled hopefully yet nervously at her, as though she'd say no to him, which was seeming more and more implausible to her with each passing day. Gwen returned David's smile, and leaned into his shoulder as he turned to the first page.

"I'd love to."

 

* * *

 

 David unlocked the door to his now-shared apartment hours later, when the sun had finally set. Gwen hobbled over to the sofa and settled down, hissing slightly as she repositioned her legs. She couldn't believe that she had just spent about six hours outdoors. Her! The chick who spent most of her college years indoors drinking vodka cocktails and crying about her student loans! She wouldn't have ever dreamed that something like this would've happened back then, let alone the fact that she'd enjoy it. David, knowing her all too well already, had already set up a movie. Nothing drama packed, just an old wordless film that Gwen had mentioned loving. He smiled at her, and was about to leave when he stopped himself.

"Gwen?"

"Yeah?"

 

Gwen had taken the nearest blanket and wrapped it around herself. David hesitated for a moment.

"I was thinking... When you're leg is all better, I was thinking that perhaps we could go to the forest."

"Well, we need to go out and buy some more clothes before that, you're terrible with clothing choice. After that... Sure. I've heard it's beautiful this time of year. Besides, how could I say no to you?" Gwen teased. David blushed, rubbing the side of his arm. Gwen smiled lightly.

"David, thanks. I really had fun."

"That's wonderful, Gwen! Now get some rest. Goodnight."

 

 

 

* * *

 

"So how far is it again?"

"We're almost there, actually."

 

They had been driving for longer than Gwen had expected. Granted, the scenery was just as beautiful as David had told her, but still. At least there wasn't much time left to drive, and at least she wasn't listening to David's recordings of The Father's Almanac (Thankfully, she had introduced him to this really cool surreal podcast online, and had gotten him hooked on that instead). 

 

David was right, as he turned left onto a road that clearly hadn't been driven on in a while. The dirt under the wheels of the car had long shoots of grass poking sporadically through it, and the leaves piled high on the side of the road as David drove along. Occasionally Gwen would hear branches brushing the roof of the car, coupled by the rain. It really was unfortunate that it had started to rain, but both of them had raincoats and umbrellas, so it wasn't as bad as it should have been. Still bad though: She had gotten a really adorable and warm sweater, too. Shame.

 

Gwen looked outside of the window. the leaves were still falling, and she would occasionally spot a pattern of frost on the bark of the maple trees. The red and orange leaves would twirl lazily until they fell to the ground. For the first out-of-city location she had been to in a while, this looked really good. 

"It's pretty."

"I know, right? I loved it when I was younger!"

"You came here as a kid?"

"Oh, yeah! Usually during the summer."

"Because you had more free time?"

"No- Well, sorta. There used to be a camp here. I went to it as a kid."

"Really?"

"Yeah! I used to joke around and call it a 'Camp camp' because it never really focused on one activity. Maybe you would have liked it?"

"Look, I can spend a day out in the woods, but three months is a little much."

"Well, we're here!"

 

He was right. Before Gwen had realised it, they had stopped. David had turned off the car and taken his keys out, before stepping out. Gwen did the same, testing the slightly shifty ground. Her leg was now fully healed, but she definitely wasn't about to do something reckless and break it again. Satisfied with the fact that she wasn't going to slip (The waterproof hiking boots that David told her to bring had come in handy after all), she walked over to his side.

"What is this place called?"

"Lake Lilac. You've never been here before?"

"No. It's pretty."

"Not very safe, though."

"What do you mean by that?"

 

He made a motion for Gwen to follow him, and they both went to the pier. He pointed to the left slightly, and over across the lake. Gwen could vaguely make out some sort of space completely blank of trees.

"See the clearing? There used to be a boot camp over there. It got closed down."

 "Why?"

"One of the... Scouts, fell onto the wrong side of tracks, if you will."

"He was stealing money from their budget?"

"Worse."

 

One somber look from David was all it took for her to understand. He led her gaze to the other side of the lake, away from the clearing, to the opposite side of the lake. The trees seemed to be thicker there. 

"What was over there?"

"The Flowerscouts. I'm not actually sure if they've left, but I doubt it's best to investigate."

"Why aren't you sure?"

"The 'Garden Mother'... Wasn't the best influence."

"What did she do?"

"To summarize, she's the reason why 'Cane Sugar' and 'Sugar Cookies' became popular."

"No way."

"Trust me, you aren't the first morally dubious person I've met. In fact, I doubt that I wouldn't have sent you over to the authorities if I didn't know about stuff like this."

"But this all happened on the other side of the lake, wha-Why did it affect you?"

"...I found out a lot about how this camp was run while I was a counselor here. As it turns out, signing paperwork for the hospitalization of most of the camp isn't fun. Neither is it when you have to do it for a dead child and your co-counselor."

 

David's usual smile had completely dissolved. He turned away, ashamed, and sat down on the wooden boards of the pier, cross legged. Gwen frowned. This wasn't right- David was meant to be happy. Swallowing the feeling that she was making all of this worse, she sat down beside him, and placed a hand on his shoulder. David looked at her, trying to muster up a smile, but stopped when he failed and turned away again.

"The Founder of this place... Wasn't- Isn't - A good man. So when these sorts of things started happening, he ran. Packed up his things and left. I was only about twenty one at the time. Sure, I could mainly handle taking care of the kids by myself, but it didn't take long for the kids' parents to find out about the incident. I couldn't stop anything then. All I could do was go back to my studies in medicine. Did you know that I got some of the highest results in my classes after that?"

"I- I'm sorry, David."

"It's all my fault."

"Don't say that!"

"How isn't it?!"

 

David had turned back to her, his somber attitude replaced with anger. Not towards Gwen, but towards himself.

"Who can you blame other than _me_ for not realising that the new co-counselor was a child-killing cultist? How can you say that when the _kids_ , found out about that before I did?! How can you say that when I _ignored_ _them_ , as though what they said didn't matter?!"

"David!"

 

Her sharp tone cut him off. David blinked in confusion. Gwen reached out a hand and placed it on his shoulder. With her other one, she touched his cheek, brushing away one of the tears. David hadn't even realised that he had started crying, and then briskly tried to wipe away any evidence of him doing so. He shrugged off both of her hands. He curled, up wrapping his arms around his knees. He laughed after a few minutes, but it was bitter and cold.

"You know, I did find out about his plans, eventually. I tried to stop him, too."

 

Gwen didn't respond.

"I tried to fight him. I got knocked out, and woke up in the hospital. As it turns out, the Flower Scouts were nearby,  and they stepped in. The co- the cultist died from his injuries, but- I- I..."

 

He trailed off. Gwen reached for him again, only to stumble back slightly as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight. She was knocked slightly off balance, but now wasn't the time to think about that. He sobbed openly into her shoulder. Gwen rubbed circles into his back. Her psychology degree was all too helpfully screaming about how wrong all of this was, how none of should have ever happened, not to him. Oh god, how did he keep smiling so much after something like that?

 

Gwen wasn't sure how long they had been sitting there, but they both must have fallen asleep, because by the time she came to, the sun was setting, and while she couldn't see David, she did see smoke not too far away, which was a bit of a giveaway. She stood up from where she had been sleeping on the pier ( Something which could not have been good for her back), and walked over to him. He was sitting in front of a campfire, with what seemed to be a skewered sausage. His earlier sadness had all but disappeared, and the usual grin was back in its place. Shaking away the thoughts that doing that clearly wasn't healthy for him, if the earlier outburst had anything to go by, she sat down. 

 

He offered her a bun and a skewer of her own, and she thanked him. They sat in silence, eating, until Gwen finally spoke up. At that point, the silence had gotten overwhelming, and well, David had already told her about his story, hadn't he?

"So... I've been working in Moonlight for about nine years, by now."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I started when I was in college. I saw something I wasn't supposed to, but since I needed help, and since they had money, I asked them for work. Don't know why they didn't kill me, but I guess that they needed a couple of extra hands anyways. So I was hired. I was only there to help with the dirty work: Being a decoy, a Debt collector or an interrogator, a requested assassination if I was lucky, but... Yeah."

"Hmm. Hope you don't mind me asking, and you- You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to, I swear! Just, umm... What- What did you find out about? Why college?"

"Well..."

 

* * *

 

 

_She had passed the year. It had taken her so much time, so much studying and panicking and so many anxiety pills that she barely afforded- But she had passed. However, as she stared at the bills in her apartment- A three-bedroom-one-bathroom apartment shared among six people that just so happened to have mice running through it every so often- She realised something. She had a job- Being a dishwasher at a local fast-food joint whenever she could spare the time, but considering how thin the ice she was on when it came to her and her boss, and the rent of the apartment she was staying at, and the eighty six thousand dollar debt that Gwen had somehow managed to rack up, there was no way in hell that she could ever pay it back in the next ten years, if that. _

 

_She sighed as she made her way back to her apartment, the week's groceries and a slushie in hand. Thank god for the sales at the store today, otherwise she'd never be able to live down buying that using the money from the budget. Knowing her roommates, they'd probably know anyways. But then again, none of them would be back for a few hours or so. She thought about it for a second, and then shrugged. She had been such a shut in, not to mention that she'd only been in this neck of the city a few times, she wouldn't have anything to lose by looking around. It would kill time, if not distract her for the time being. At least, after she brought the groceries back._

 

_With the groceries put away, and having changed into some more comfortable shoes, she had started to do exactly as she planned. It was fun, for a while: There was an ice-cream parlour that she had never seen before, a Hooters, a ton of bars that she would really like to visit that seemed to be way out of her price range..._  Before she knew it,  _the sun started to set, and she figured it was time to home. But there was just one problem:_

_"I can't fucking believe I'm lost. Hey, ma'am?"_

 

_After getting directions to an identifiable landmark, she made her way along, before stopping at a crossroads not long after. At the time, she knew the most direct route back, but something she definitely didn't know was exactly how shady that direct route was. As such, she chose exactly that path, remaining none the wiser about what could have happened there. But not to worry: She found out fairly soon._

 

_It started when she had first heard the shouting. Fear struck her just as it would any other sane person, but instead of turning tail and running away, she found herself creeping closer instead. As she approached, she could make out a few people talking- Arguing, she corrected herself- not to far away. She leaned just barely over the bins she was hiding behind to hear the conversation._

_"Look, You know why we're both here. You dealt with them in the past. You've dealt for  them. Tell me where they're hiding and we'll let you go like this never happened."  
_

_"Listen, if it's drugs you-"_

_"We don't give a shit about the drugs, Hane! Where. Are. They."_

_"Look kids, both of you. I didn't want this to go down badly, but if you're not going to budge-"_

 

_The shots started ringing, and Gwen ducked back, praying to any deity she could think of that she wasn't going to get involved, or shot. Well, the second wish was granted. The first..._

 

_She heard then grunting, a tell tale sign of some sort of physical violence. Next, some metal clang, and then something skittering across the floor until it landed on the ground right next to her. The sounds of a scuffle continued, accompanied by the grunting of what Gwen guessed to be the drug dealer the other two were dealing with._

_"Fuck-"_

_"Harrison, grab him before-"_

_"I know!"_

 

_It didn't take a genius to figure out that the dealer -Hane- was trying to get to the gun. The one that was right beside Gwen. It took her a fraction of a second to know that she'd be spotted, and it took even less to know that she'd most likely be shot on sight. So, with her heart pounding louder than it ever had before, and with her hands shaking from fear, she stepped out of her hiding place, just in time to spot Hane, a middle aged man in jeans and a button down, reaching for the gun._

 

_Hane had stopped as soon as he saw Gwen, his jaw going slack. It didn't take him too long to recover, but by then Gwen had already panicked and stepped on his wrist, breaking it. Hane screamed out in pain, and Gwen picked up the gun in that time, before turning around to look at the two other two that she heard._

 

_There was one boy and one girl, both of which seemed to be only a few years younger than Gwen herself. The boy had brown hair and was wearing slacks for... Some reason. The girl, who had a nice half-shaven haircut wasn't exempt from the odd clothing choice either. Who thought it was a good idea to wear a cape? They looked pretty good, sure, but still. She was searching out a drug dealer! Beyond that, Gwen noticed that both of them were wearing yellow in some variety: The girl had her cape, and the boy had his shirt. Were they in a gang or something? She had only seen colour-coordinated gangs in tv shows, but still._

 

_Hane had tried to take this moment of distracted silence to run in the other direction. Gwen, turned to him. Lifting the gun in her hands, she aimed without thinking. Her brain didn't catch up with her until after the bullet fired._

_"Son of a bitch!"_

 

_Gwen's eyes widened as Hane fell to the ground. The bullet had hit his thigh, and it was no wonder that he toppled over. But it still managed to shock Gwen, who dropped the gun as though it burned her. She had just done that. She, a tired and average college student with anxiety had just shot someone. The girl and boy watched her in surprise. For what seemed to be this woman's first time shooting a gun, it ended up way better than they had expected. The girl looked over to Hane, who was still writhing on the ground. Walking back over to the woman, who was leaning against the dumpster to support herself, she grabbed the gun that was laying next to her, and walked to Hane to finish the job._

 

_Gwen flinched at the second gunshot. She stared at the girl, who walked back to her partner, nodding. They both glanced at Gwen, and were about to leave, when-_

_"Wait! W- Wait."_

 

_Gwen's mind felt like it had temporarily split into multiple little pieces, one screaming at her to run away, the other trying to tell her to look someone calm in front of the people she was trying to talk with, the other.... If  you asked Gwen, she had no clue was possessed her to make this decision._

_"I want to work with you."_

 

* * *

 

 

"So after I told them that, they knocked me out. By the time I woke up, the two of them had taken me to HQ, and I've worked with them ever since."

"But why were you accepted?"

"I told you, I didn't know. Mr- Uh, My Boss- Never told me, either. My best guess is that they needed some sort of scapegoat- Or a Red Herring, whichever you want to use."

"Hmm."

 

Gwen felt something wet on her forehead, and she looked up, only to flinch when something hit her eye. David noticed that, and stood up, packing away the food that they brought.

"It's starting to rain. Let's go, Gwen. The tent is already set up, and it's waterproof."

"Right. Just..."

"My phone is fully charged if you want to read something on it."

"I'm coming! I- Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

 

Gwen was significantly more alert now. She whipped around as she heard another noise coming from the tree line behind her. The noises grew louder, and more frequent, until a person finally came out. Gwen's jaw slackened in shock. What made it hit the floor was what David said.

"Quartermaster, what are you doing here?"

"Wait wait wait- You _know_ QM?"

" _You_ know him?"

"Of course I do- he freaking works with us!"

"'Us' Gwen- Wait, are you serious?!"

"Of course I'm- DAVID!"

 

Gwen stared as he dropped to the floor. She barely had a moment to think before the world turned black.

 

* * *

 

"Well well _well_.  Looks like our little distraction came back from the dead! Got to say Gwen, nice job with the disappearing act- You really convinced us all!"

"Max?!"

"I'm the one asking the questions here, Gwen. Starting with who the fuck the guy you were with was, and how the hell he knows half of the people in our gang."

 

_Shit._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small world, isn't it? :^)

**Author's Note:**

> ForestWater's Gang Au? Never heard of her. Achievement Hunter Gta Au fanfiction? What's that? Is it edible?
> 
> I had a fun time writing this fic. It was my first time writing a legit fight scene, and while I think I may have mischaracterised David, I think I got Gwen down well (at least, I hope). Her outfit was really easy to describe, as I have a sister that acts a lot like Gwen, so all I had to do was write down something that sounded like something my sis might wear, so... Yeah, pretty cool.
> 
> I hope all of you liked this!


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